(And You Should Be) Free Of Me
by Supernova95
Summary: It's as though Tim had disappeared without a trace. Just left. He hadn't even packed up his apartment.


"Tim? Timmy?" Jason shouted as he entered the manor. He has searched everywhere: the Wayne Enterprises offices; the theatre on Park Row; he'd called the Titans. Hell he'd even called Superman hoping he'd heard something about Red Robin's sudden disappearance.

But nada: nothing. It's as though Tim had disappeared without a trace.

Just left.

He hadn't even packed up his apartment… not that it was that messy. However, there were dinner plates still unwashed by the sink and his bed was unmade, which was un-Timothy Drake like.

"Master Jason, Master Timothy hasn't been home in quite some time, is there anything we can assist you with?" Alfred said, walking into the foyer and taking Jason's jacket.

"I'm worried Alf, I can't find Tim." Alfred's face fell; worry creasing his brow. Out of all his 'grandchildren' Master Timothy worried him the most, he had a habit of… forgetting things when he was too caught up in his work.

Like how humans do in fact need food in order to survive.

"I was really coming to check with Bruce, to see if he knows anything." Jason said hurriedly, apprehension fluttering in his stomach like butterflies.

"I see. Master Bruce is downstairs training Master Damian." Alfred said with a faux smile.

Jason nodded and started down to the cave. He hoped this wasn't going to be too difficult with Damian there; he never had taken a liking to Tim.

When he entered the cave Bruce and Damian were sparring on the mats; the kid was good (Jason will give him that), but he wasn't Bruce good. You could tell Damian had trained before, he had a grace to his movements, but was pretentious. Thinking he could outsmart his opponent without consideration of the situation. It was an interesting performance. Watching Bruce put him down after only a few blows, only for him to get up and try again; modifying his technique a bit, but definitely not enough.

"That may work on the League's assassins kid, but you need to think more if you're gonna outsmart The Bat." He said smirking. Jason sat down at the main console, swinging his feet up and gesturing for them to continue.

To give the kid credit, he did change his approach, obviously thinking more analytically about how he was going to beat his Father, and he did manage to last a few more minutes without being pinned, but from the soft smile on Bruce's face he was really just toying with his son.

A grunt of frustration and the smack of fist meeting floor in anger startled Jason out of the doze he had fallen into. It really didn't help his search for Tim that he'd had a cumulative ten hours of sleep over the past three days. It just seemed to be one thing after another in Gotham.

"Okay, lets stop there for the moment okay Damian, you're getting better. You just have to remember to think more than you do."

Damian huffed at his father's advice, but it was better than one of the comebacks he had been spewing when he first arrived at the manor.

"Jason," Bruce smiled at him, it was somewhat unnerving, "to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Jason's brow creased in amused confusion, "You're sounding more and more like Alfred everyday there B." He laughed.

Bruce rolled his eyes grunting out, "Why are you here Jason?"

"Tim."

"Yes?"

"No one's seen him in a few days, and I was hoping you knew where he was."

Bruce looked frustrated. "He's out on a mission Jason, stay out of it."

Tim surely would have told him about a mission. It's not that they share everything with each other, well these days it was almost coming to that, but he definitely would have mentioned a mission. They were supposed to have a date tonight.

"Kay B, when did you last hear from him and when—" The short-lived grimace on Bruce's face said it all. "You haven't heard from him have you?"

Bruce remained silent.

"Bruce, when did you send him on this mission?"

Bruce remained silent.

"Right, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this mission was a rush job, so that puts it at the time I last spoke to Tim, which was Wednesday. Shit B, that almost five days ago. You haven't heard from Timmy in five days! Why aren't you worried."

"Tim can take care of himself."

"Bullshit. Tim is a seventeen year old kid who has had far too much responsibility put on his shoulders, he shouldn't need to take care of himself. That's what Fathers are for."

"I'm not his Father." Bruce growled.

"Congratulations B, you're the closest thing he's got. Deal with it."

"Now what was the mission?" When at first Bruce didn't reply he continued, "Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to hack your files to find out for myself?"

"There's a smuggling ring in town targeting teenaged boys. All have the same characteristics: white, brunette, blue eyes. So I sent Tim in undercover, to find out who they are and what they're doing. He wouldn't have done it if he didn't want to. He understood the risks involved."

"I repeat, seventeen year old kid. He's not even allowed to vote till next year and you send him undercover to a trafficking ring? What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Jason shouted, smacking his hands onto the control system in front of Bruce, chest heaving and trying to look as imposing as possible.

Bruce didn't even look up from what he was doing.

Jason growled in frustration. "If you want something done, you have to do it yourself." He muttered, deliberately barging past Bruce's chair on his way out of the cave. He had a lead, now all he had to do was follow it. Can't be many human trafficking rings in Gotham right?

"Father?" Damian questioned innocently from where he had been hovering silently.

Bruce stood, his brow furrowed. Tim had been too long without any communication or signal.

"Damian suit up."


End file.
